Axel Springer CEO proposed acquiring TikTok's European operations

Mathias Döpfner, CEO and co-owner of the German media group Axel Springer, proposed a plan to acquire a stake in TikTok's European operations. According to reports from the Financial Times, the proposal was discussed during a private lunch in January at Axel Springer's Berlin headquarters with Charles Kushner, the U.S. Ambassador to France.

Döpfner's suggested model mirrors the approach taken for TikTok's U.S. division, where a group of Western investors formed a joint venture with ByteDance to address national security concerns. The German media giant, which owns Politico and The Telegraph, aimed to create a similar structure for the European market.

Despite the proposal, the initiative did not progress. Sources in Brussels indicate that European Commission officials showed a lack of enthusiasm for the plan, and ByteDance has reportedly shown no interest in the idea, with representatives characterizing the reports as fabrications.